• Contacts: Dr. Michael Prewitt, Dean; Dr. Gary McIlvain, Associate Dean
• Website: http://www.marshall.edu/cohp

cohp@marshall.edu

The College of Health Professions (COHP) is among the largest colleges at Marshall University. It houses a wide range of academic programs at all levels, from associate’s degrees to the doctoral level. The COHP was founded in 1998 to unite the academic units of Nursing, Communication Disorders, Clinical Laboratory Sciences, and Dietetics. In 2006, the College expanded to include the Department of Social Work. In 2010, the College welcomed the School of Kinesiology, a department housing the Athletic Training, Biomechanics, and Exercise Science programs.  Later, the COHP created a Health Science program, a bachelor’s degree designed to be widely applicable across health care industries. The School of Physical Therapy was added in 2012 with the first cohort graduating in 2015. The COHP added a master’s degree in Public Health in 2016 with the first graduating class in 2018  and in 2022 the School of Nursing added a doctoral degree in nurse practitioner (DNP) with the first graduating class in 2024. The COHP has formed strategic partnerships to enhance and expand its academic offerings, including a partnership with St. Mary’s Center for Education, which offers an associate’s degree in Nursing and bachelor’s degrees in Medical Imaging and Respiratory Therapy. Many of the academic units in the COHP offer graduate degrees to complement their undergraduate offerings. At the doctoral level, the COHP offers degrees in Physical Therapy and Nursing.

Mission

Consistent with the mission of Marshall University, the College of Health Professions (COHP) is committed to offering quality undergraduate and graduate nursing and health professions education. The focus of the College of Health Professions is upon being interactive with the community, including rural and underserved areas, and responding to contemporary and future needs of society, nursing, and the health professions.

To accomplish this mission, the College of Health Professions:

• ensures the integrity of the programs through maintenance of rigorous professional education standards and through the high expectation of student learning and performance;
• encourages involvement of faculty in service to society and the profession;
• supports the engagement of faculty in research and scholarly activities;
• provides an environment that is sensitive to a culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse student body, faculty, and staff; and
• maintains an environment that provides for academic freedom and shared governance.

Cooperative Programs

The Marshall University Employee Dependent Undergraduate Tuition Assistance Program cannot be used to cover the tuition and fees of the St. Mary’s/Marshall University cooperative programs, which include medical imaging, nursing, and respiratory care. These programs are classified as third-party waiver programs, which are exempted from the Employee Dependent Tuition Assistance Program.

Departments

Degree Requirements

Graduation Requirements for COHP Majors

The number of hours required for graduation varies among the COHP majors. While 120 is the minimum required by the university, several COHP major require additional hours.

General Education Core Requirements

The baccalaureate degree programs in the COHP require students to meet the University general education core requirements. The general requirements are listed below. In some programs students must take specific courses to meet core requirements. The most up to date information on the core, including lists of courses that fulfill the requirements is located at www.marshall.edu/gened.

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Core I
FYS 100	First Yr Sem Critical Thinking (should be taken during the freshman year)	3
Critical Thinking (CT)		6
Core II
ENG 101  & ENG 201	Beginning Composition and Advanced Composition	6
or ENG 201H	English Comp Honors
Core II Communication Studies		3
Core II Fine Arts		3
Core II Humanities		3
Core II Math		3
Core II Physical/Natural Science		4
Core II Social Sciences		3
Total Credit Hours		34

Core I

First Year Seminar: 3 hours

• Students who transfer to Marshall University as sophomores [30 or more credit hours] are exempt from taking FYS 100 First Yr Sem Critical Thinking.

Critical Thinking (CT): 6 hours

• Students must choose from the Critical Thinking courses listed on the general education web page (marshall.edu/gened).
• Students who transfer to Marshall University as sophomores [30 or more credit hours] are only required to take one critical thinking course.
• Students may wish to select a Critical Thinking course that will double-count as a Humanities (courses in bold).

Core II

Composition: ENG 101 Beginning Composition and ENG 201 Advanced Composition (or ENG 201H English Comp Honors) 6 hours

Communication Studies: 3 hours

• Students must choose from the Communication Studies courses listed on the general education web page (www.marshall.edu/gened)

Fine Arts: 3 hours

• Students must choose from the Fine Arts courses listed on the general education web page (www.marshall.edu/gened)

Humanities: 3 hours

• Students must choose from the Humanities courses listed on the general education web page (www.marshall.edu/gened)

Math: 3 hours

• Students must choose from the Mathematics courses listed on the general education web page (www.marshall.edu/gened)

Physical/Natural Science: 4 hours

• Students must choose from the Physical/Natural Science courses listed on the general education web page (www.marshall.edu/gened)

Social Science 3 hours

• Students must choose from the Social Science courses listed on the general education web page (www.marshall.edu/gened)

Additional University Requirements

Writing Intensive: Students must select 6 hours of courses designated as Writing Intensive.

Multicultural/International: Students must select 3 hours of courses designated as Multicultural or International.

Students must complete the hours required to meet the program requirements of their degree program. The minimum hours required for graduation is 120, although most College of Health Professions majors require more than the minimum. The number of free elective hours a student will need to complete depends on the major, the number of hours needed take to fulfill the math requirement (3 or 5 hours), and double-counting general education requirements.

The number of hours required to graduate varies. To determine the number of free electives needed to reach the total hours to graduate from a specific major:

• Add up all the hours required on your curriculum sheet and subtract that number from 120. The total will be the number of free electives you need to complete. Free electives are any course that is 100-level or above. Please note that developmental courses (095, 096, 097, 098, 099, etc.) do not count toward completion of free electives or the 120 hours for graduation
• If you earn a “C” or better in a course and repeat it, that is considered a Repeat Passing Grade. If you earn a “D” in a course that was taken after your first 60 attempted hours and repeat it that is also considered a Repeat Passing Grade. Repeat Passing Grade hours cannot count toward the 120 hours needed for graduation and must be manually subtracted from the overall hours completed toward graduation.

Double-Counting

Any course that meets more than one graduation requirement (excluding free electives) can be double counted, if applicable. For example, CL 210 Love/War Ancient World (CT) double-counts as Critical Thinking (CT) and Humanities. Because you must have a minimum of 120 credit hours to receive a degree, double-counting will increase the number of free electives you will need. Therefore, if you take a class that meets two graduation requirements, you will then take additional free elective hours in place of the second course requirement. You may only double-count in the general education area of your degree. You cannot double count one course as two major requirements.